The sound of Tendo Pain's sharp remark made the atmosphere in the underground laboratory freeze for a moment.
Yakushi Kabuto smiled, unconcerned, and took out two experimental materials from a scroll he carried.
"I have compiled the detailed content here. With this, even if there are no results tomorrow, at least the direction can be confirmed, and it shouldn't be difficult to establish a research plan."
Shen Nong and Huang Izumi looked at the documents in Yakushi Kabuto's hands, their eyes burning with a bit of excitement.
"Rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix." They were undisputed leaders in their own organizations. What did they come to the Akatsuki organization to be a dog for Pain?
The promised help from the Akatsuki organization was an afterthought, and whether it would be given or not was another matter. The knowledge before them was a tangible benefit.
Strength, when it comes from oneself, is the most reassuring.
Hiruko looked at the documents and materials, his eyes narrowing slightly.
No matter how much he disliked and envied Orochimaru, his talent was undeniable.
The technique used to raise a weak mid-level Genin to Kage level might contain a solution to his own physical problems.
Tendo Pain's expression remained unchanged. He watched Yakushi Kabuto hold onto the documents, his eyes flickering for a moment. He said calmly,
"What do you want?"
"Two requests." Yakushi Kabuto took out a ruby the size of a quail's egg from his sleeve. Its blood-red color immediately caught everyone's attention. He smiled, "The first is this ruby. The more the better."
This request made everyone present slightly stunned.
Hiruko and Huang Izumi didn't know Yakushi Kabuto's background and were very surprised. Shen Nong's expression changed slightly, remembering what he had seen in the rain.
However, he remembered that the color of that ruby didn't seem to be red.
Tendo Pain didn't find it strange. He had the 'Rain Tiger Will of the Hunter Technique' and saw more than Shen Nong. He said calmly, "How much do you want?"
"As for the quantity, the more the better, naturally."
Yakushi Kabuto's mouth twitched. "At least three to five hundred catties would be good."
Tendo Pain didn't seem particularly surprised by this number. To use gems to cast Ninjutsu, how could too small a quantity guarantee its power?
But at this moment, Konan stepped forward and said resolutely, "This is impossible. At most, we can give you three to five."
"Three to five? Are you begging for alms?" Yakushi Kabuto pushed his glasses up, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Tendo Pain didn't understand either. He looked at Konan, not to question her, but to seek an explanation. He knew she must have her own considerations.
"This is a ruby, which is very rare and priceless."
No matter how bitter and hateful Konan's past might be, she was ultimately a woman. Having managed finances in Kirigakure for so long, she was familiar with the value of such decorations and spoke eloquently. "...In short, if you were to gather all the rubies in the ninja world, you probably wouldn't even have fifty catties, let alone a hundred."
Tendo Pain's expression darkened. He looked at Yakushi Kabuto, a fierce light flashing in his eyes. "By setting this condition, are you toying with me?"
A deep aura erupted, and everyone present held their breath.
Yakushi Kabuto remained unfazed, a smile still on his face. "I didn't mean that."
He then glanced at Konan and said unhurriedly, "She knows only one part, not the other."
"Rubies are scarce on the market, but that doesn't mean gems are scarce in the ninja world. Most of them are buried underground."
"It is very difficult for ordinary people and ordinary ninjas to mine them, but for me, this is nothing."
Yakushi Kabuto raised his palm flat, and the ruby flowed freely like a pool of red water, changing into more than ten shapes in an instant.
"What I need are the locations of various mines. If you provide them, I will go and get those three to five hundred catties myself."
This explanation was somewhat acceptable, and Tendo Pain no longer pressed the issue, retracting his outward aura.
Konan, however, was not so easily fooled. Even though Yakushi Kabuto's words had some truth to them, even if ruby mines were not rare, there definitely wouldn't be too many of them.
"I will send people to find the locations of the mines for you, but what if the quantity is insufficient? I can't allocate all of the Akatsuki organization's manpower and resources to this."
Yakushi Kabuto couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. "What is this? Are you trying to trick me?"
"The Akatsuki organization has White Zetsu as an aid, and they can monitor the entire ninja world. Is finding some ore underground a difficult task?"
Konan was speechless.
In the eyes of 'outsiders,' White Zetsu was part of the Akatsuki organization and naturally had to obey the command of the leader, Pain.
But in reality, the masked man only cooperated with them when their interests aligned.
From the previous conversation, it was clear that the masked man did not support the Akatsuki organization's research into 'body strengthening surgery.' However, he would reluctantly be responsible for intelligence gathering in Konoha. How could he bear the cost of what was now being offered to Yakushi Kabuto?
But in front of these newcomers to the organization, he couldn't show weakness, making them think that Pain couldn't even control one organization. Therefore, after a moment of silence, Konan reluctantly agreed to Yakushi Kabuto's request.
"I will complete this matter as soon as possible. Do you have any other requests? Feel free to state them."
Konan glared fiercely at Yakushi Kabuto, forced to agree to such an unreasonable request, and she was naturally angry.
Yakushi Kabuto smiled, unconcerned by her petty emotions, and said to Tendo Pain calmly,
"The second request is also not difficult. I will not be responsible for the specific research content of this body strengthening surgery research, but the person in charge of the overall experimental progress must be me."
Before Tendo Pain and Konan could say anything, Hiruko's eyes widened, and a powerful aura burst from his small body.
He said sternly, "Young brat, do you think you are worthy of commanding me?"
Shen Nong and Huang Izumi remained silent, but their eyes and expressions conveyed the same meaning.
Putting aside their combat power as ninjas, they still had some pride in their respective professional knowledge.
"Whether or not you are qualified to command is not something you decide."
Yakushi Kabuto, changing from his previous casual demeanor to one with some sharpness, didn't look at Hiruko and the others. He said to Nagato,
"Although they have some skills, they are, after all, in their own fields. Frankly speaking, their abilities may not be that strong."
"Body strengthening surgery is the research result of that adult. I brought out these documents and materials. No one probably understands the content better than I do."
Yakushi Kabuto glanced at Hiruko and the others, and said with a smile, "Research is a complex process. Once there are disagreements, whose opinion do you think should be followed?"
Hiruko's attitude was cold, and Shen Nong and Huang Izumi also frowned. They were clearly not easy to deal with and would not easily back down.
"Body strengthening surgery," this could be considered a super large-scale investment project of the Akatsuki organization. The experimental equipment placed in the basement alone was enough to make people envious, not to mention the rare materials that would follow.
This was a rare opportunity for any researcher, and they naturally wanted to control the direction of the research.
"Don't think you're so great just because you got Orochimaru's research results for free and luckily learned Senjutsu."
Hiruko said coldly, "You've only learned for a few years. In terms of knowledge reserve, you're not even qualified to carry my shoes."
"Then you must be very amazing."
Yakushi Kabuto twitched the corner of his mouth, his smile filled with mockery. "Then can you guarantee that you can research the 'body strengthening surgery'? If so, how long will it take?"
"You?" Hiruko's eyes glinted coldly, but he dared not give that assurance.
If Orochimaru's research was that simple, the ninja world would be full of superheroes by now.
At this moment, Konan suddenly interrupted, "Yakushi Kabuto, by saying this, do you have the confidence?"
Shen Nong and Huang Izumi also looked over, with mockery in their eyes.
"Naturally, I don't either."
Yakushi Kabuto smiled and admitted defeat decisively. But before others could mock him, he added,
"But there is one thing I can guarantee."
"Throughout the entire research process, all invested funds will be used for the development of 'body strengthening surgery.'"
"It will not be used for personal gain."
Yakushi Kabuto stressed the words 'personal gain' word by word. "Even if it fails, I will let you know where it failed."
"This is the meaning of me overseeing this project."
Hearing Yakushi Kabuto say this, Konan pursed her lips, but she did not retort out of personal animosity any longer.
As the Akatsuki organization's treasurer, she knew too well the meaning of such a person to them.
Everyone has their specialties. Regarding research, she, Nagato, and even the entire Akatsuki organization couldn't find many people who understood it well. If these 'outsiders' colluded privately and deceived their way through, it would be very troublesome.
In the end, it would not be possible to resolve it by force.
But can research matters be achieved by coercion?
And like now, with Yakushi Kabuto and the other three in opposition, but acting as a spy to monitor them, it might be a good method.
With this thought, Konan nodded to Nagato.
"What Yakushi Kabuto said has some truth to it."
Tendo Pain's expression remained unchanged. His indifferent gaze swept over everyone casually, and he said faintly, "This matter will be entrusted to you."
"But speaking of which, if there are problems after you take on this matter, you will be responsible."
Yakushi Kabuto smiled. "Naturally."
After speaking, he handed the two sets of materials in his hands to Hiruko and Shen Nong, respectively.
"You two go back and look them over. We will finalize the research details tomorrow."
Hiruko's face was cold. He took the file without a word and turned to leave immediately.
Circumstances were beyond his control. The leader of the Akatsuki organization had spoken, so even if he didn't accept it, he had to.
Fortunately, he came to the Akatsuki organization for Orochimaru's technology in the first place. Being controlled to conduct research was annoying, but it was better than gaining nothing.
Since Hiruko didn't speak, Huang Izumi and Shen Nong naturally wouldn't be the first to step forward. They took the same set of documents, gave a nod to Tendo Pain, and then left.
Soon, only the three of them remained in the huge underground laboratory.
The air was silent for a moment, and Tendo Pain spoke, "Why did you choose this position?"
Excluding the possibility of Yakushi Kabuto colluding with the other three, this matter was clearly beneficial to the research.
For the past year, Yakushi Kabuto had been staying in Hozuki Castle, doing the tasks assigned by the Akatsuki organization carelessly. Now that he had actively taken on this position, his motives were very suspicious.
"Nothing much, just doing a job similar to a spy, to find the feeling of those old days."
Yakushi Kabuto smiled. The two in front of him wore similar cold expressions, clearly not satisfied with this answer.
"Hehe, just kidding."
Yakushi Kabuto became slightly serious. "The answer is simple. I don't want to waste time."
"Research is a very time-consuming thing."
"And what is researched this time is useless to me, so spending time on it has no value."
"Compared to that, collecting rubies all over the ninja world better suits my needs."
He pushed his glasses up. "But if I don't participate, or if these fools don't research anything, you might suspect that what I gave you has problems."
"To have others' problems land on my head would be troublesome."
Yakushi Kabuto smiled. "I don't intend to leave the organization yet."
This explanation was logical and reasonable. Tendo Pain and Konan, who were present, were not stupid and could not find any flaws.
Either this was Yakushi Kabuto's true feelings, or it was a pre-prepared excuse.
But no matter what, Nagato and Konan would not trust Yakushi Kabuto. This kind of thing only existed between the two of them.
"After the research matters are arranged in the next few days, I'll have White Zetsu guide me to collect rubies."
Yakushi Kabuto smiled and tossed the crystal in his other hand. "This thing right now is decent, but it's not hard enough yet."
After saying that, he excused himself and left directly.
Konan watched him disappear up the stairs, then suddenly asked, "Nagato, how feasible do you think what Yakushi Kabuto said is?"
"That depends on the progress of the experiment later."
Tendo Pain's eyes were indifferent. "There might be no flaw in what he said, but he said too much. Keep an eye on him later."
Konan nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Nagato, what about the matter of the ruby mines?"
Relying solely on hiring ninjas or ordinary people would be a huge workload, and it might even be impossible to complete.
"I will personally discuss this matter with the masked man."
Tendo Pain pondered for a moment and said slowly, "He has always been planning to collect the tailed beasts. Negotiating with this matter, I don't think he will refuse."
Anyway, according to the masked man, the order of sealing the tailed beasts in the Outer Path Statue was best from smallest to largest.
And the Land of Wind, Sunagakure Village, had greatly reduced its strength after the Third Shinobi War, and was in dire straits due to financial problems. It currently posed no threat to the safety of Amegakure or Kusagakure, so it was not a major problem.
Konan's eyebrows furrowed, and her face showed worry. "Nagato, don't force yourself."
"It's not forcing myself."
Tendo Pain shook his head. "The masked man spoke so seriously about the abilities of the Outer Path Statue, and I've wanted to try it for a long time."
Collecting tailed beasts and eliminating the powers of the major ninja villages was a matter of time. Nagato couldn't blindly believe everything the other party said.
This was just bringing forward the trial.
Konan looked at Tendo Pain's expression, knowing that she couldn't change Nagato's insistence. She sighed slightly and said softly,
"Whatever decision you make, I will support you."
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